Suits hanging on natural wood hangers to preserve their shape and drape. Photo by Cody Smith
One of the easiest ways to be out of style is to wear out-of-season clothing—a mistake we always want to avoid. After all, we want to be comfortable and fashionable. This means putting away a few things when the weather begins to change.
Although this might sound daunting, suits actually require less maintenance than you might think. They do, however, require some care—a little R&R. This will keep them fresh and crisp. And, proper care will help extend the lifetime of your wardrobe, so you can be sure your suit (and accessories) go out of style before they show signs of wear.
Interested? Follow these 4 Tips on How to Store a Suit…
Tip #1: Clean and Repair
A full dry cleaning carousel at Henries Dry Cleaning, 223 East Broadway, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111. Photo by Cody Smith
Whether you purchase off-the-rack, wrap yourself in made-to-measure suits, or fall somewhere in between, it’s important to have your suits dry-cleaned before storing them.
No matter how supernatural wool is, the longer body odors, perfumes, or colognes are allowed to linger, the harder it will be to get rid of them. Removing stains or unwanted smells will help prolong the life of your clothing. However, dry cleaning any clothing too often will cause the fibers to break down, so practice caution when deciding which items require dry cleaning.
Tip #2: Keep the Critters Away
The biggest threat to your fine fabrics is moth larvae. These little critters hatch and immediately feed on the fabric around them. You’ve already taken an important first step in preventing this by properly laundering your suits.
Ideally, your next step would be to store them in a cedar chest , but that isn’t practical for everyone. Instead, try natural solutions that critters loathe, like cedar or lavender. Mothballs were once considered the way to go, but now that we understand the dangers they pose to children and pets if ingested, their use has fallen out of favor.
Tip #3: Pick the Proper Place
Clothing, like you, needs to breathe, and if you’re thinking about off-season storage, you’re likely wanting for closet space. Consider sorting through your wardrobe and retiring some items. Out-of-fashion, fatally damaged, and ill-fitting clothing clutter your closet. Toss those pieces out, donate them, or put them in long-term storage ‘til they’re back in style.
Once your suit is clean and prepped for the war against hungry critters, store it upright in a breathable garment bag. That’s non-negotiable to keep the natural fibers looking their best. Also, and this can’t be stressed enough, avoid plastic garment bags—they’re breeding ground for mold and mildew.
The perfect suit hanger is constructed of natural wood and wide enough to protect the shape of the collar. Choosing the proper place and hardware will preserve the shape and drape of your jacket.
Always hang slacks from the hem on a felt clamp hanger as it will allow wrinkles to fall out without adding new ones. You can also fold pants in half over a trouser bar in your suit bag using a technique known as the Savile Row fold:
holding your slacks upside down by the legs
fold one leg through the hanger until the hem reaches the crotch
then, fold the second leg similarly over the first
Tip #4: Remember the Little Things
Dress Shirts
H.M. Cole custom, stripped dress shirt on display in the window of the Salt Lake City showroom.
Both wool and cotton are a favorite of moth larvae. Handle these shirts much like you would a suit: wash and press or dry-clean before storing them. Store them close to the suits you’ve already fortified with cedar and/or lavender for extra protection.
Whenever possible—which is all the time—avoid using wire hangers, or you’ll walk around with a persistent pucker in the fabric near the points of your shoulders. Instead, hang dress shirts on ¼ inch wooden hangers[1] . Wooden hangers of this size are sturdy and allow for air circulation between garments.
To prevent wrinkles, align each hanger with the shirt’s shoulders and fasten every other button.
Dress Shoes
Leather is timeless. It’s elegant yet rugged, with the ability to age gracefully if properly cared for.
Proper care will not only increase a shoe’s life but show that you, the wearer, pay attention to the little things. Improper care will ensure warping or cracking.
Luckily, you can easily prevent damage, and the steps are going to sound familiar:
find a cool, well-ventilated space
clean and condition your shoes to preserve them and add a lifetime of character
use cedar shoe trees to help keep their shape
store in a felt shoe bag to protect from harmful debris
It might sound like a lot, but suits really do require less maintenance than you might think. Once you jump in to storing your out of season clothing, you’ll have a system in place that will make it easier and easier in the coming years. So, give your wardrobe a little care, and your suits (and accessories) will prove to be a long-term investment.
Ties
The most common way to store a tie is on a tie rack. But, as we discussed before, closet space is often limited.
If you don’t have room for a tie rack, roll and place your ties in a dedicated storage drawer. Just start at the narrow side and roll—loosely please!—until you reach the other, wider side.
H.M. Cole custom-made ties and pocket squares in the showroom display case. Photo by Cody Smith
